Religion - Four Trials
Note that this is the main religon, but there are a few other minor religons around that have been brought in from other countries or have been around for a while. "'If you have passed the tests of all Four Trials, you shall walk through the fire unharmed.' So the weary Joneth stepped into the river of fire. The flames felt gentle and warm against his skin compared to all the pain he had known. The few metres were nothing to the countless exhausted steps his feet had taken. He longed for no water for his thirst had been completely quenched. He reached the otherside and looked upon the gatekeeper, whom smiled down at him in return. 'You have left your old life behind you and are now born anew.'" - Book of The Four Trials - Afterlife. Written 912 years prior to the Change. "Let us pass our sorrows, as your soul has passed this life, with its exhaustion, thirst and pain." - Prayer for the dead Reading from the book of Gnosis: Once, long ago, there was one religion; the Primordium. And the Primordium encompassed all things: pain and sorrow, thirst and exhaustion, and many more trials besides. It so happened that after a time, four prophets were born into the world. These prophets; Dolore, Zhazhda, Shterje, and Luctus, by name, undertook the quest to determine which burden was of the utmost importance for the Children of the Primordium to pass unto the land of the dead. And so they set out, each their own way, with the agreement to reconvene in ten years time and share their discoveries with one another. Luctus journeyed far to the north, into the ice-capped frozen wilderness. He communed with the hearty beasts of the land and witnessed life and death and rebirth and there he felt unburdened. Zhazhda trekked southward, coming upon lush and fertile earth, baking in the heat. She labored alongside the sturdy, bronzed peoples there, under the noonday sun. Day in and day out, the tribulations of life were scorched out of her and she felt her spirit lifted. To the west went Shterje, and it was a difficult road he traveled. Long did he toil in the wealth-encrusted mountains there; back-breaking exertion that humbled and absolved him. Dolore remained in the east and it was there she meditated on life and all its intricacies. She witnessed to the people there and was a student to their agony. Suffering, she concluded, was the unbiased cleanser. Thus they lived out their days, until the time came for the four friends to meet again. They gathered in the temple of the east and consulted each other on what each had learned. Exhaustion, said Shterje, was the path to true enlightenment. Dolore touted pain as the way to salvation. Luctus argued fiercely for the merits of sorrow. Zhazhda held fast to her belief in the great thirst. Debate raged on for a fortnight, until at last, the prophets could stand no more. It was clear they would never agree. Again they separated, each establishing their own temple to the charge they most upheld. For a time, it seemed that the quartered country would continue on this way. But life could not sustain these scars, and unrest was sewn throughout the Children of the Four Pillars. A terrible crusade was waged and the mountains, rivers, soil and streets were washed with blood. The people wept and the prophets were martyred for their steadfast beliefs. In the aftermath of the carnage, the disciples to the Four Houses forged a pact. Never again would the country be rent; never would their world be drenched in crimson. It was in this manner that the religion of the Four Houses was established: Exhaustion, Pain, Thirst and Sorrow; and the Sons and Daughters of the Four were henceforth charged to learn from each and become a scholar to the lessons they offered. To this day it continues on. The Houses stand as the four pillars, strong and stoic at the compass points of Val Moren. So heed you well, and learn from these tales. A temple separated is sure to crumble, but Houses united build the foundation of faith. Quotes & Sayings From the first, we have struggled, For life is an eternal fight To tame the Thirst inside of us and teach it wrong from right. - House of Thirst Blessed are those who live with pain, And many rewards they'll reap. Those who take their own bleak life, Only bitter tears will they weep. - House of Pain Blessed are the ones exhausted, Whose weariness runs deep. For every tired step they take in life, In death shall have blissful sleep. - House of Exhaustion Cry not, weary traveller, for the past, For it will lead you astray. Cast away all your hatred and Sorrows, And look forward to each new day. - House of Sorrows Section heading Write the second section of your page here.